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 Of 6,923 people who had their case transferred to the contact
tracing system in its third week of operation, 1,791, or 25.9%,
could not be reached, with no contact details provided for a further
263 people.
The department said 30,286 people were identified as close contacts
of positive COVID-19 cases, and of these 24,734 people, or 81.7%,
were reached and asked to self-isolate.
Those running the test and trace service say that it is early days
in its operation and is working well but needs continued
co-operation from the public to help get to grips with the pandemic.
The test and trace system is seen as key to efforts to lift the
lockdown in England, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson allows a
growing number of businesses to re-open.
"In just three weeks, NHS Test and Trace has already reached more
than one hundred thousand people who may have otherwise unknowingly
spread the virus," said Dido Harding, executive chair of England's
test and trace system.
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"It will take all of us working together to stop the spread of the
virus in our communities and that will continue to be true as the
country starts to open up again."
Since the programme's launch on May 28, it has reached 113,925 close
contacts of the 21,105 people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Of those who have tested positive for the disease, 99.4% of people
have been transferred to the system, the Department of Health said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
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